NEED TO KNOW
Stephanie Lanciani has been going to Disney World with her friends Katie and Deanna for over nine years.
Their other friends, Ashley and Sarah, are also Disney lovers, and the group of five would often share tips and tricks about the park, specifically relating to accessibility, as they are all plus-size.
Their love for going to Disney theme parks and the need for accessible information inspired them to create their social media page, Plus Size Park Hoppers, where they document their visits, test out rides to see if they’re size-inclusive and review Disney-affiliated restaurants and shops.
Stephanie Lanciani
It all began after they learned about the new Avatar ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Flight of Passage, which opened in 2017.
However, they heard it wasn’t as size-inclusive as other rides in the park. Unsure of whether or not they could comfortably ride, the friends looked for information online from other plus-size creators.
“We were looking on the internet for other people who look like us, trying the ride vehicles,” Lanciani, 33, exclusively tells PEOPLE. “There wasn’t a lot of content out there for varying body types, and so I remember thinking then, ‘We could do that. We could help show people if they could fit on rides or not.’ ”
Living in Massachusetts, the friends only went to Disney World around once a year, so at the time, they had to put the idea on hold.
It wasn’t until 2023, when Disney started selling annual passes after a pause for the COVID-19 pandemic, that they decided to get one. It was then that they created their Plus Size Park Hoppers channel, sharing content on each of their visits to Disney.
Each of their videos highlights a ride, attraction, or restaurant and the different accessibility options for those of varying body types. The information they share includes where the test-seats are located, which restaurants have booths or chairs with arms, and other accessibility information that helps others determine their best options at Disney World.
They also often coordinate outfits, sharing fun “outfit of the day” videos with their 250,000 followers.
While their videos often reach their target audience, sometimes they go viral and reach a different demographic, leading to mean comments and online bullying.
While Lanciani admits some of the comments can be “brutal,” she says the “good outweighs the bad.”
Stephanie Lanciani
“We’ve made so many friends, and we love having meetups where we meet our followers. One of the first moments that hit me that we could be building a community was at our first meetup, when I saw two moms exchange numbers,” Lanciani recalls.
“They were from Florida, and they talked about how they could go to Disney together. I’m not remembering the mean comments, but I am thinking about those two moms exchanging numbers.”
Now, they take trips down to Florida once a month and stay there for about a week or two. When they’re there, they plan meetups with their followers, allowing them to connect with the people they set out to help in the first place and others who simply support their message.
“A lot of the people we meet in the park are not plus-size people. People will come up to us and say, ‘I didn’t realize that people had these things to worry about or to think about,'” she says. “Some people have said, ‘I have a plus-size friend, and I never thought that they would have a problem sitting in a chair with arms.’ ”
“Success is getting the message out there that other people experience different issues and have things they have to worry about,” Lanciani adds. “If it can be top of mind for more people, that would make everything better for everyone, and make accessibility and inclusivity more top of mind.”
As they grow their following, the Plus Size Park Hoppers plan to continue going to Disney and making content that builds community and highlights accessibility. They are looking to take a trip to Disneyland Paris next year, which would be each of their first times leaving the country.
“Something that’s stopped us is traveling to another country as plus-size people in general, you don’t know what the bathrooms are like, you don’t know what the restaurants are like, what the hotels are like. Are they going to fit people like us?” Lanciani shares.
“We thought, ‘If we’re having these concerns, other people are having these concerns.’ We want to go and travel to other places. So if we can do it, other people can do it.”
